Science Fiction - Paperback Science Fiction Series Children's Books

Science Fiction Or Fantasy?

What is science fiction? One definition that appeared on a site called Read*Write*Think, defined Science Fiction as "a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of science - these stories involve partially true - partially fictitious laws or theories of science. It should not be completely unbelievable, because it then ventures into the genre fantasy. As a rule, science fiction texts are set in the future, in space, on a different world, or in a different universe or dimension." This genre is gaining popularity among young children and young adults as new books arrive on the scene to tantalize the curiosity of children for the "out of this world" experience.

An Well Developed Genre For Children

The determining value to science fiction is that there must be a plausibility that is attached to science. Some of the classic pieces of literature that rank in the hall of fame of science fiction are Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Gothic novel Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus, written in 1818, and Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written in 1886. In modern times, we have works that test the boundaries of science fiction, such as Star Wars and Star Operas. Hard core sci-fi people would dismiss these two works as fantasy, however, the public bought them as science fiction. Star Trek, like Star Wars, is very borderline, mixing romance, adventure, and drama with galactic wars. The "real" science fiction properly began toward the end of the 19th century with Jules Verne and his 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and H.G. Wells books, the most famous of which is The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

Today, picture books of science fiction are used in the classroom to help children exercise their imagination and engage in critical thinking. Here Come The Aliens by Colin McNaughton is an excellent introduction to science fiction for children. It is a short picture book with great content. Using science fiction in the classroom takes children to places they want to go, to the place of imagination and creativity and science fiction picture books is a splendid way to accomplish the feat.

Paperbacks And Binding Series

Many of the science fiction books written were short stories that appeared in final form as a series. One such paperback science fiction series of children's books was Star Trek, and of course the Fantastic Four were every bit as popular. There were, and continue to be the Analog and Galaxy series for the hard core sci-fi guys. Today, new science fiction series of children's books include Ergon and Elder by Christopher Paolini and the Twilight series, which has taken the young adult (and the not-so-young adult segment) by storm. We will stick Harry Potter in here, although some may argue that the books are more fantasy, there is a certain level of science fiction in them as well. Many of these books can be purchased in binding science fiction series children's books as well. Binding means they are in a harder, protective covering which lasts longer than the soft cover of the paperback books. For the latest in science fiction series children's books lists, check out www.webrary.org/kids/jbibsf.html

Hail The Kindle

The latest-greatest way to read books has recently hit the market, courtesy of Amazon. It's called the kindle and is a pocket-sized computer on which you can store a huge number of books. The idea behind the Kindle 1 and 2 (the latest model) is to replace buying books in their physical state and buy a kindle book instead. You have a list of titles and can order the book on your Kindle and have it in a flash - and you don't have to haul around a heavy book. Science fiction, written as short stories, are available on Kindle for a mere $2.00. Your child will thrill to more Analog stories, and Asimov's tales. This is the perfect item for children because they are not only computer savvy, but they tend to lose books quite easily, if you've noticed. A Kindle is compact and easy for them to use.

Children's Historical Fiction

As an end note, we want to suggest children's books of historical fiction. While it isn't science fiction, historical fiction has a very important part to play in children's literacy. Using historical fiction for children is an effective and interesting way to teach and communicate the nuances of life in a by-gone era. Everyday life is not depicted in textbooks, but historical fiction can fill in the blanks and make history live for children. It takes real events that actually happened and blends fictional characters into the story through the events. In most children's books of historical fiction, the main character is a child, so children learn a lot about life from a child's point of view. Many of these books are available on audio books for children, as easy way to give your child the gift of books.